Google Fixes World Trade Center Flight Blunder

Google's new page Google Flights made a serious error after its take-off on Tuesday. The new search engine, which aggregates flight information for desired destinations, showed the World Trade Center as an airport option for New York City.

Google quickly fixed the error shortly after media reports on the gaffe came out.

Before the update, a user who typed New York into the search bar would see a list of possible airports, the World Trade Center coming up sixth, with the word unavailable next to it.

To make the search engine, Google used data from the International Air Transport Association and the International Civil Aviation Organization, which included the locations of both airports and helipads.

Before the buildings were destroyed in the Sept. 11 attack in 2001, the south tower had a helicopter landing on its roof. The information Google received hadn't been updated after 9/11.

Our intention with Flight Search is to provide information only about active airports. We are removing the WTC code now that we're aware of it and we will look for other airports that need to come out as well, a Google spokeswoman told the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday.

Google Fights is the product of a $700 million acquisition of ITA Software. Google built the tool to compete with discount travel booking Web sites like Kayak, Travelocity and Microsoft's Bing.

Americans are appropriately touchy about references to 9/11 and the Twin Towers. In May, United Airlines was criticized for an ad outside the Ground Zero construction site that read, You're going to love where we land.